Just a few author notes, as I prefer a potential reader to know what they're getting into before committing to a read.
The Baroness and the Orc is grimdark erotic fantasy. Very grimdark. It takes place in an unhappy world and unhappy things occur in it. Demons have infested a once peaceful land, and orcs--once humanity's greatest enemy--are now turned to by some desperate humans as saviors, despite their brutality and insistence on enslaving humanity.
The specific kinks included in this story mostly revolve around orcs dominating humans and all that entails. Humans that willingly enslave themselves to orcs are called thralls, and the eroticism is built from that relationship. There is non-consent (orcs fucking humans initially against their will, the humans eventually enjoying it), lots of extreme anal sex, large breasts and cocks, and big, muscled, green orcs doing whatever they want with conquered humans. The story features a very masochistic main character who gets off to everything done to her. There is much debauchery and wanton fucking and degradement, as well as unhealthy relationships. Bad or depressing things are presented as good and beautiful through the main character's masochistic world view.
Quick note on the orcs: they are dual-sexed orcs. Meaning their species has one sex with both male and female genitalia. Basically, they could be viewed as futas, but more in a biologically accurate and serious light. They present as large, muscled females with breasts, and have both a vagina and penis and balls, and even a social system based around the roles a dual-sexed species would develop.
Note there is death, NOT sexualized. Orcs and human soldiers fight, and humans are killed in battle.
* * *
Baroness Emily Lawford found herself surrounded by a bleak vista and bleaker news, and so she clutched her orc tome closer to her heart.
It was supposed to be a pleasant outing away from town. A picnic on a green hill overlooking a shimmering lake. But how could any outing be pleasant in the modern age? Excursions like those were a thing of decades past, when the sky wasn't permanently covered by a thick layer of grey clouds painting everything in dull shades. When demons didn't prowl the deep woods and haunt the shadows of dead human cities.
Before the Ripping of the Realms.
"Truly?" asked Lady Charlotte, her warrior's body tensed as if the story Priestess Raines told was happening next to them at that very moment. Emily nibbled on her cake, eyes cast on the horizon.
"Truly," said the Priestess, looking out of place in her arch light priestess outfit with its long skirts, sleeves, and habit that covered her hair. "The entire caravan was set upon by demons. Not a single one of them was left alive, except for the witness, of course."
The cake went down dry. The witness. The one left alive to run back and tell tales of what happened.
Demons do love their games
, thought Emily.
"A whole house," said Emily's mother, a strange combination of despair and exhaustion on her face. Emily was the spitting image of her mother, only three decades younger. They were both short, petite women with light complexions and black hair, troublesomely large breasts for their frames, along with a certain melancholy thoughtfulness on their faces. "Just like that, a whole house wiped away. Simply because they wanted to relocate to the city where its safer."
The senior Baroness Lawford was out of sorts these days. But then who wasn't? Times were hard, and combined with her mother's own personal issues related to aging--even now she hid obvious back pain as she sat straight in her tightly corseted dress--the stress mounted. There had already been discussions of the transition of leadership now that Emily had just come of age. Emily was ready to rule, to finally really help her mother.
"That's the danger of travel on the road these days," said Lady Charlotte, pushing her armored shoulders back. She was a tall, athletic woman with tightly braided brown hair and a stern look perpetually plastered on her face. She wore quite the large greatsword at her back, and Emily knew she could wield it better than any man-at-arms in the barony of Grimsfield. "You think you have enough soldiers to go outside a town's walls, but you can never have enough. If it's not the monsters we've always had to content with, then it's the demons. Did they put up a good fight?"
Priestess Raines winced and shook her head. "The story relayed to me was...distressing." She exhaled a heavy breath and looked away.
"Oh, let's hear it," said Hannah. She actually had a smile on her face, framed by smartly cut black hair. Her trusted lady-in-waiting, always ready to turn everything into a party or a joke.
The Priestess hesitated.
"It would do good to hear an account of the attack," said Lady Charlotte. "For strategic purposes, in case I'll ever have to raise my own sword in defense of House Lawford and Grimsfield."
"Very well," said Priestess Raines, swallowing. She was a tall and full-bodied woman under all those demure priestess robes--and in her thirties, young for an arch light priestess. But pickings were slim lately. Her large, green eyes had a sheen to them, as if she'd seen the attack herself and was relieving it, and she licked at her full lips before continuing.
"The soldiers did indeed fight bravely," she went on. "But they didn't last long. The demons came from all sides, from behind and ahead, and in all shapes and sizes as well. Forms that appeared similar to humans but with wings and tails and fangs, and also forms so wild and disturbing you'd think them nightmares given flesh. Writhing teeth and claws and eyes and tentacles. They slaughtered the soldiers, piercing them with sharpened limbs, ripping their bodies to pieces, throwing them about the road."
Hannah's smile faded, and she looked downward, her brown skin somehow managing to blanch. "Oh. That's...awful."
That was always like Hannah. Ignorant enthusiasm followed by sobering reality.
"At least it sounds like it was over fast," said Lady Charlotte, squeezing a gauntleted hand. The dulled sunlight through thick layers of perpetual clouds managed to make her metal armor glint. "House Parsons at least was given that small gift. They didn't suffer long."
"Oh," said Priestess Raines. "Were it only so. The soldiers were put down quickly, but the family and servants, well...that took longer. The demons, they...toyed with them."
Lady Charlotte scooted closer where she sat on the hill. "How so?"
"It's...too awful to say."
Emily's mother covered her mouth, her eyes glistening. Hannah went silent. Lady Charlotte looked like she wanted to take on the entire demon horde herself right then and there.
Matthew appeared from behind the carriage on the road, where the other house men-at-arms stood a respectful distance away. His smiling face was a breath of fresh air. "Well that feels better!" he called, skinny arms gangling about as he joined the rest of the picnicking party. "I didn't miss all the cakes, did I? You lot are looking gloomy today. Has the tea gone bad?"
He sat next to Emily, and she leaned into him, thankful to feel her fiance's warmth.
"What's this?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her. "Did I miss something after all?"
"No," said Emily softly. "I just like it when you hold me."
Matthew went for the remaining cakes, while the group moved on to other depressing discussions involving how hard things were becoming. Demons that grew more and more dangerous and numerous, along with the more common monsters. They talked about how humanity was reduced to only two major cities now, and how smaller towns like her own Grimsfield seemed to be falling one by one, along with what few walled farms remained.
Matthew joined the conversation, but Emily suddenly wanted to be somewhere else. She opened up her tome on orcs,
Sir Gladahan's Guide to the Modern Orc
, and began reading random passages.
There are many key differences that separate the ancient orc from before the Ripping of the Realms and the modern orc. One of the most famous and most discussed is in how they deal with humanity. Make no mistake, the modern orc views humans in the very same way they always have. That is, they believe humanity is the result of a rebel goddess' failed attempt at recreating her sister's "perfect" creation, the orc. They still view humans as animals without an ounce of spiritual value in them. But before the Ripping, they would gladly slaughter any and all humans on sight. We were great enemies to each other, we humans and orcs. Great rivals. The sudden arrival of demons in our world changed things, however. The modern orc has committed to only putting down those humans who fight or resist orc imperialism. To those foolish humans who willingly submit? The orc offers mercy and a life of slavery.
Emily flipped the page, her fingers running down the weathered parchment. She had read the book dozens of times, and it only got more fascinating with each read. The orc was truly a marvelous creature. Priestess Raines was going on about needing to increase and spread the worship of Goddess Etana. Emily ignored her and kept reading.
The modern orc has even categorized their chattel. There are two classes among the owned: slaves, and thralls. The slave is forcibly taken and coerced into performing labor or sexual servitude under threat of harm or death. These days, the slave is very rare, if even still a practiced thing. It is now mostly reserved for other orc warriors from rival clans who were captured in battle and forced into servitude as a form of humiliation for the conquered and celebration for the victors.
Thralls share a similar life and status, but have voluntarily entered into this arrangement. They want to commit their lives to serving the orcs. Most all owned humans I met on my expeditions were in this class of servant. They needed no threats or coercion. They obeyed without question. Why would someone voluntarily want to live such a horrible life? That, my astute reader, brings me to the subject of orc cultists.
Emily gripped the edges of the book. Orc cultists. Those humans who cast aside the worship of everything good and pure, who turned their back on Goddess Etana, and chose to embrace the orc deity Goddess Atrix.
Sir Gladahan went on in length about orc cultists and the many reasons they betrayed humanity to serve barbarous beasts, and for every time he condemned the reasoning, Emily only saw rationality.
Sir Gladahan claimed it was cowardly to look to the strength of the orc for protection from the pure annihilation of demons. To Emily, it was logical, and the only solution to the demon crisis.
